Tie holder



y 2, 1967' J. T. KERNS 3,311,095

TIE HOLDER Filed Oct. 1, 1964 WWW INVENTOR JAMES T. KERNS BY M 4 ATTORNEYS United States Patent Filed Oct. 1, 1964, Ser. No. 400,798

- Claims. (Cl. 223-87) James The present application relates to a tie holder, and more particularly to a device that can be used as both a tie clasp and a display device for ties in a haberdashery.

It has long been the common practice to use tie clasps to secure the depending portions of a fore-in-hand tie to the front of a dress shirt for both neatness of appearance and for keeping the dangling portions of the tie under control. Further, habe-rdasheries have long displayed ties (for sale. Display devices therefore are needed whereby ties can be displayed in a manner both which is pleasing to the eye and which allows the customer to view the tie as it would appear when worn. In both instances, the tie is displayed for view, and therefore, it is desirable that the device holding the tie be hidden from sight. Further, when the device is used as a tie holder, it is desirable to have the device hold both dangling portions of a foreiu-hand tie in alignment so that under no condition can the two portions of the tie become laskew and therefore unsightly. Still further, it is desirable that such a device be relatively inexpensive and easy to manufacture.

It is therefore an object of this invention to provide a tie holder which is relatively inexpensive and easily manufactured and which holds the two dangling portions of a fore-in-hand tie to the front of a dress shirt in a manner such that the tie holder is hidden from view and that the dangling tie portions cannot become askew.

It is another object of this invention to provide an improved and relatively inexpensive display device which can be used in a liaberdashery to display fore-in-hand ties to the customers in such a manner that the tie is displayed substantially :as it will be worn by the customer with the holding device hidden from view.

It is still a further object of this invention to provide a tie holding device which can be used by both a wearer of a fore-in-hand tie as a tie clasp and by a haberdashery to hold the dangling ends of the tie in alignment with the holding device obscured from view thereby displaying the tie in a neat and decorative manner.

The above-mentioned and other features and objects of this invention and the manner of attaining them will become more apparent and the invention itself will be best understood by reference to the following description of an embodiment of the invention taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG, 1 is a view of one embodimentof the improved tie holder of this invention; 7

FIG. 2 is a view of a second and the preferred embodiment of the improved tie holder of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a side view of either of the embodiments shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, holding a cfore-in-hand tie in place. As illustrated, the tie holder of this invention is secured to the front of a dress shirt by means of a button and to the tie by means of a conventional tie task. The use of a tie tack is, however, only an alternative method of securing the tie to the tie holder to the preferred method for those fond of the appearance of a tie tack;

FIG. 3A is a fragmentary view, partly in cross-section, of the tie and the improved tie holder of this invention shown in FIG. 3 taken substantially along section line 4-4 in which the preferred method of securing the tie to the tie holder is illustrated. By this method of securing the tie to the tie holder, the tie holder is completely hidden \from view;

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FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view, partly in cross-section, of the tie and the improved tie holder of this invention shown in FIGS. 3 and 3A taken substantially along section line 4-4 in which a safety pin is added to the preferred method of securing the tie to the tie holder for those wearers of the tie holder desiring additional security;

FIG. 5 is a side view of the improved display device of this invention showing one method by which a forein-hand tie can be securely held thereon and displayed in an attractive manner; and

FIG. 6 is a side view of the improved display device of this invention showing another method by which a forein-hand tie can be displayed in la haberdashery.

In the broader aspects of this invention, there is provided a tie holder made of flexible sheet material and having a means for securing the tie holder to either the front of a dress shirt or to a display standard, and having a second means lfOI securing the tie holder to a fore-inhand tie having a pair of depending tie end portions, and having a third means intermediate the first and second means for holding one of the two tie end portions in alignment with the other.

Referring to the drawings, and more specifically to FIGS. 1 and 2, there is shown an improved tie holder which is made of relatively thin and flexible sheet material and shaped as illustrated, The material is preferably self-supporting when in sheet form, but highly flexible when cut so as to form :a tab. Further, this material must resist forming cracks, or tears, or becoming brittle after repeated flexing of the material. In a specific embodiment of this invention, polyethylene material has been found to possess the afore-rnentioned properties and to be par-' ticularly desirable.

In the first embodiment of this invention shown in FIG. 1, the tie holder 10 is shaped so as to have a pair of generally rounded portions 12, 14 and a neck portion 16 therebetween. Portion 12 is cut so as to form a slit 18 which is centrally located in portion'12 and has opposite ends 20, 22 adjacent each other; slit 18 thereby forms a flexible tab 24. Intermediate tab 24 land the peripheral edge 26 of the tie holder 10, portion 12 is cut so as to form a slit 32 which extends inwardly from the peripheral edge 26 terminating at hole 33 within the portion 12 thereby forming another flexible tab 34. Hole 33 is adapted to receive a conventional tie tack if desired; however, such use of the hole 33 is entirely optional as the tab 34 is entirely sufficient to secure the tie holder 10 to the tie as hereinafter mentioned (see FIG. 3). In the second and preferred embodiment of the tie holder 10, shown in FIG. 2 and in which like parts have been assigned like reference numerals, :a pair of holes 28 :are located in portion 12 intermediate tabs 24, 34 and adjacent each other in a manner adapting holes 28 to receive a safety pin 30 as shown in FIG, 4. The tie holder 10 is preferably made as shown in FIG. 2 with both the pair of holes 28 and the tab 34 and the hole 33, but can alternatively be made with either tab 34 .and the hole 33 as shown in FIG. 1 or with only the holes 28. In the second embodiment, the peripheral shape of portion 14 is changed; and therefore, is assigned the reference numeral 14a. Portions 14, 14a are both cut so as to form a slit 36 which extends from the peripheral edge 26 inwardly. Further, portions 14, 14a have a hole 38 centrally located therein to which slit 36 extends and terminates.

Referring now specifically to FIGS. 3, 3A and 4, the method by which the tie holder 10 can be used to secure a fore-in-hand tie 35, knotted as at 37, to the front 39 of a shirt which buttons down the front will now be described. Portion 14 of the holder 10 is secured to the shirt front 39 by means of the shirt button 40 by inserting the threads by which the button 40 is conventionally attached to the shirt into the slit 36 and finally positioning them within opening 38. By this method of securance, tie holder is fastened to the shirt 39 in a relatively secure manner and extends upwardly from the button 40. Upper portion 12 of the tie holder 10 can then be secured to the larger and outer dangling tie portion 42 by inserting tab 34 into the seam 44 in the back of the tie portion 42 as shown in FIG. 3A. In this position, the tie holder 10 is completely self suflicient to hold the dangling portions 42, 46 in alignment so that under no conditions can they become askew. However, both embodiments have provision for positioning a conventional tie tack 31 through the tie portion 42 and the hole 33 if desired for appearance sake. In the preferred embodiment shown in FIG. 2 the safety pin 30 may be inserted through the pair of holes 28 and the tie portion 42 to more securely attach the tie holder 10 to the tie if that is desired. In the preferred embodiment of FIG. 2, the tie tack 31, the tab 34, and the safety pin 30 can be used together, or in the alternative, they may be used singularly to secure the portion 12 to the tie portion 42, and therefore, the preferred embodiment has provisions for all of the versatility of the invention. To complete the installation of the tie holder It) to the front of a dress shirt, the smaller dangling tie portion 46 of the fore-in-hand tie is inserted through the slit 1% and firmly held in the tie holder by means of a tab 34. Properly installed, as above-described, the tie holder 10 is completely hidden from view and both dangling portions 42, 46 of ties 35 are held in alignment and cannot become askew.

Referring now specifically to FIG. 5, there is shown a display standard 48 comprising a base portion 50 and a support portion 52 which extends upwardly in a substantially vertical manner from base 50. The support portion 52 has a distal end 54 which is horizontally spaced by portion 56 from the remaining portions of the support portion 52 and is vertically spaced apart from the base portion 50. Now referring specifically to FIG. 6, it can be seen that the distal end 54 is hook-shaped.

In operation, as a display device in a haberdashery, portion 54 of the tie holder 10 is secured to portion 56 by passing the hook-shaped distal end 54 through the opening 38. From this point of securance, the tie holder 10 depends on the portion 56 of the display standard 48. The fore-in-hand tie is inserted through the slit 18, shown in FIG. 5, in such manner that the tie portions 42, 46 extend from the tie holder tab in a neat and attractive manner. Once the tie portions 42 and 4e are placed in this position, tab 24 prevents the fore-in-hand tie 35 from being pulled out of the tie holder tab or from becoming disaligned in the tie holder tab under the normal handling of the type received from customers of a haberdashery. Alternatively, fore-in-hand tie 35 can be secured to the tie holder tab as illustrated in FIG. 6. In this alternative, the tie holder 10 is secured to the tie portion 42 by means of the tab 34, tie tack 31, and/or the safety pin 30 as abovedescribed, and the tie portion 46 is passed through the slit 18. By this means, the loop 58 of the tie being extended above the point at which the tie holder 10 is secured to the tie 35 and the point in which the tie holder 10 is secured to the display standard 48 (see FIG. 6). Still further the tie 35 can be tied in the conventional manner when secured to the tie holder 10, as illustrated in FIG. 6, in a manner such that a knot 37 extends upwardly in place of the loop 58 afore-described.

In operation as a tie clasp, the tie holder 10 can be left attached to the tie 35 so as to be available for use whenever the tie is worn, thereby completely eliminating the need for interchanging the tie clasp from one tie to another and greatly reducing the chance that the tie clasp will be mislaid. As the improved tie holder of this invention can be made relatively inexpensively, it is entirely pos sible to permanently attach a tie holder 10 to each tie a person has in his wardrobe.

Further, it is conceivable that tie manufacturers might provide a haberdashery with a tie holder 10 for each tie purchased by the haberdashery with the intent in mind that the haberdashery first use the tie holder 10 to display it in the manner illustrated in FIG. 5 and secondly, for the purchaser to use the tie holder 10 in the manner illustrated in FIG. 3. With this use of the tie holder 10 in mind, tie manufacturers could display advertising material or attach their manufacturing label to the tie by printing or embossing the same onto the tie holder 10; and at the same time provide their customers with a tie clasp that can be permanently attached to the tie for as long as the tie is worn.

While there have been described above the principles of this invention in connection with specific apparatus, it is to be clearly understood that this description is made only by way of example and not as a limitation to the scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A tie holder comprising a sheet of flexible material having a peripheral edge, a neck portion and at least one generally rounded portion, said sheet having a first slit centrally located in said rounded portion, said first slit having ends positioned to form a flexible tab, a tie securing means formed in said rounded portion intermediate said tab and a portion of said peripheral edge adjacent said tab, said sheet having a second slit at a position spaced apart from said tab, by said neck portion, said second slit extending from said peripheral edge inwardly, said sheet having an opening therein for suspending said holder from a support, said second slot terminating at said opening.

2. The tie holder of claim 1 wherein said tie securing means comprises a pair of adjacent holes formed in said sheet and a safety pin passed through and secured to said sheet.

3. The tie holder of claim 1 wherein said tie securing means comprises a third slit extending from said peripheral edge inwardly and terminating within said sheet thereby forming a second flexible tab.

4. A tie holder comprising a sheet of flexible material having a peripheral edge, a pair of generally rounded portions and a neck portion therebetween, one of said sheet portions having a first slit, said first slit being centrally located in said one portion and having ends adjacent each other thereby to form a first flexible tab, said one portion having a pair of holes therein intermediate said first tab and said peripheral edge, said holes being adjacent each other and adapted to receive a safety pin therein, said one portion having a second slit intermediate said pair of holes and said peripheral edge inwardly and terminating Within said sheet thereby forming a second flexible tab, said other portion having a third slit therein, said third slit extending from said peripheral edge inwardly, said other portion having an opening therein for suspending said holder from a support, said third slit terminating at said opening.

5. In combination, a tie holder and a support therefore, said support comprising a standard having a base portion and an elongated support portion, said support portion being secured to said base and extending upwardly substantially vertically from said base, said support portion having a distal end vertically spaced from said base portion, said distal end being horizontally spaced from the remaining portion of said support portion by a neck portion, said tie holder comprising a sheet of flexible material having a peripheral edge, a pair of generally rounded portions and a neck portion therebetween, one of said sheet portions having a first slit, said first slit being centrally located in said one portion and having ends adjacent each other thereby to form a first flexible tab, said one portion having a pair of holes therein intermediate said first tab and said peripheral edge, said holes being adjacent each other and adapted to receive a safety pin therein, said one portion having a first opening and a second slit intermediate said pair of holes and said peripheral edge, said second slit extending from said peripheral edge inwardly and terminating at said first opening thereby forming a second flexible tab, said other portion having a third slit therein, said third slit extending from said peripheral edge inwardly, said other portion having a second opening therein, said third slit terminating at said second opening, said neck portion of said support being inserted into said second opening thereby securing said sheet to said standard with said sheet depending from said neck portion.

6. In combination, a tie holder and a support therefore, said support comprising a standard having a base portion and an elongated support portion, said support portion being secured to said base and extending upwardly substantially vertically, said support portion having a distal end spaced apart from said base portion, said distal end being horizontally spaced from the remaining portion of said support portion by a neck portion, said tie holder comprising a sheet of flexible material having opposite end portions, a first means in one of said end portions for securing said sheet to said support, a second means in the other of said end portions for securing said sheet to a fore-in-hand tie having two depending tie portions, and a third means intermediate said first and second means for holding one said tie portions in alignment with the other of said tie' portions, said neck portion of said support being inserted into said first means, thereby to attach said sheet to said standard with said sheet depending from said neck portion.

7. In combination, a tie holder, a shirt having a collar and being buttoned in front, and a fore-in-hand tie secured to said shirt adjacent said collar and having two depending tie portions, said tie holder comprising a sheet of flexible material having a peripheral edge, a pair of generally rounded portions and a neck portion therebetween, one of said sheet portions having a first slit, said first slit being centrally located in said one sheet portion and having ends adjacent each other thereby to form a flexible first tab, said one sheet portion having a pair of holes therein intermediate said first tab and said peripheral edge, said holes being adjacent each other, said one sheet portion having a first opening and a second slit intermediate said pair of holes and said peripheral edge, said second slit extending from said peripheral edge inwardly and terminating at said first opening thereby forming a second flexible tab, said other sheet portion having a third slit therein, said third slit extending from said peripheral edge inwardly, said other sheet portion having a second opening therein, said third slit terminating at said second opening, said other sheet portion being secured to said shirt with said sheet being intermediate a button and said shirt, and with the button securing device passing through said opening, said sheet extending upwardly from said button, means for securing said one sheet portion to one of said tie portions with the other of said tie portions being between said one tie portion and said shirt, said other tie portion extending through said first slit and being held by said first tab in alignment with said one tie portion.

8. The combination of claim 7 wherein said means for securing said one sheet portion to said one tie portion comprises said second tab positioned in the seam of said one tie portion.

9. The combination of claim 7 wherein said means for securing said one sheet portion to said one tie portion further comprises a safety pin extending through said pair of holes and said one tie portion thereby securing the same together.

10. The combination of claim 7 wherein said means for securing said one sheet portion to said one tie portion further comprises a tie tack extending through said first opening and said one tie portion thereby securing the same together.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,826,759 3/ 1958 Loewinsohn 2l45 2,946,106 7/1960 Moran 2-145 X 3,065,946 11/1962 Berkow 223-87 X 7 FOREIGN PATENTS 1,146,387 5/1956 France.

PATRICK D. LAWSON, Primary Examiner.

R. SCANIJAN, JR., Assistant Examiner, 

5. IN COMBINATION, A TIE HOLDER AND A SUPPORT THEREFORE, SAID SUPPORT COMPRISING A STANDARD HAVING A BASE PORTION AND AN ELONGATED SUPPORT PORTION, SAID SUPPORT PORTION BEING SECURED TO SAID BASE AND EXTENDING UPWARDLY SUBSTANTIALLY VERTICALLY FROM SAID BASE, SAID SUPPORT PORTION HAVING A DISTAL END VERTICALLY SPACED FROM SAID BASE PORTION, SAID DISTAL END BEING HORIZONTALLY SPACED FROM THE REMAINING PORTION OF SAID SUPPORT PORTION BY A NECK PORTION, SAID TIE HOLDER COMPRISING A SHEET OF FLEXIBLE MATERIAL HAVING A PERIPHERAL EDGE, A PAIR OF GENERALLY ROUNDED PORTIONS AND A NECK PORTION THEREBETWEEN, ONE OF SAID SHEET PORTIONS HAVING A FIRST SLIT, SAID FIRST SLIT BEING CENTRALLY LOCATED IN SAID ONE PORTION AND HAVING ENDS ADJACENT EACH OTHER THEREBY TO FORM A FIRST FLEXIBLE TAB, SAID ONE PORTION HAVING A PAIR OF HOLES THEREIN INTERMEDIATE SAID FIRST TAB AND SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE, SAID HOLES BEING ADJACENT EACH OTHER AND ADAPTED TO RECEIVE A SAFETY PIN THEREIN, SAID ONE PORTION HAVING A FIRST OPENING AND A SECOND SLIT INTERMEDIATE SAID PAIR OF HOLES AND SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE, SAID SECOND SLIT EXTENDING FROM SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE INWARDLY AND TERMINATING AT SAID FIRST OPENING THEREBY FORMING A SECOND FLEXIBLE TAB, SAID OTHER PORTION HAVING A THIRD SLIT THEREIN, SAID THIRD SLIT EXTENDING FROM SAID PERIPHERAL EDGE INWARDLY, SAID OTHER PORTION HAVING A SECOND OPENING THEREIN, SAID THIRD SLIT TERMINATING AT SAID SECOND OPENING, SAID NECK PORTION OF SAID SUPPORT BEING INSERTED INTO SAID SECOND OPENING THEREBY SECURING SAID SHEET TO SAID STANDARD WITH SAID SHEET DEPENDING FROM SAID NECK PORTION. 